Yermo and friends on topics dear to Geeks and Gearheads.

If you are looking for the epic motorcycle journey blog that I've written, please see the Miles By Motorcycle site I put together.

Yermo

Royal Society Issues IP Charter

10/16/2005 9:58PM

From slashdot:

"The Economist and the Guardian both have stories about the release of the Adelphi Charter – an international blueprint for how intellectual property should be made – by Britain's Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce. The Economist says “The Adelphi group are a varied crew ranging from Gilberto Gil, the Brazilian culture minister (and pop star) to Sir John Sulston, a Nobel-winning scientist who helped decode the human genome, and James Boyle, a law professor at Duke University. They believe that the intellectual-property system is starting to lean so far in favor of private enrichment that it no longer serves the public interest.” The charter calls for evidence-based policy, and a balance between rights protection and the public domain. It also condemns business method and software patents."

You can read the full article here.
- Doom 'n Gloom > Software Patent Fiasco
Pillows: A Hot Bed Of Fungal Spores

10/16/2005 5:19AM

Yermo

As reported by ScienceDaily.com:

"Researchers at The University of Manchester funded by the Fungal Research Trust have
discovered millions of fungal spores right under our noses -- in our pillows"

Read the full article here.
- Health
1/5 of All Human Genes Have Been Patented

10/14/2005 3:54PM

Yermo

Ah, the lovely American totalitarian patent system where any idea can be owned for a fee.

Another patent fiasco reported on Slashdot:

A story on National Geographic News cites a study claiming that 20% of all human genes 'have been patented in the United States, primarily by private firms and universities.' While universities hold 28% of all gene-related patents, 63% belong to private firms, with a whopping 2000 patented genes (approximately 67%, or 50% total) belonging to a single firm." From the article: "You can find dozens of ways to heat a room besides the Franklin stove, but there's only one gene to make human growth hormone ... If one institution owns all the rights, it may work well to introduce a new product, but it may also block other uses, including research ..."

You can read the full article here.
- Doom 'n Gloom > Software Patent Fiasco
EU Claims Internet Could Fall Apart Next Month

10/13/2005 4:00PM

Yermo

According to slashdot:

"The battle for the control of the internet could hit a climax next month, with the EU saying that it could 'fall apart.' From the article: 'The European commission is warning that if a deal cannot be reached at a meeting in Tunisia next month the internet will split apart. At issue is the role of the US government in overseeing the internet's address structure, called the domain name system (DNS), which enables communication between the world's computers. It is managed by the California-based, not-for-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) under contract to the US department of commerce.'"

You can read the article here.
- Computers > Internet > DNS
- Doom 'n Gloom
Top Advisory Panel Warns Erosion of U.S. Science

10/13/2005 2:03PM

Yermo

More in a continuing saga that I've been complaining about for many years, as reported on slashdot:

"From the NYT: A panel of experts convened by the National Academies, the nation's leading science advisory group, called yesterday for an urgent and wide-ranging effort to strengthen scientific competitiveness. The 20-member panel, reporting at the request of a bipartisan group in Congress, said that without such an effort the United States 'could soon lose its privileged position.' It cited many examples of emerging scientific and industrial power abroad and listed 20 steps the United States should take to maintain its global lead."

You can read the full article here.
- Doom 'n Gloom
<< 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107 >>